Unchosen Champion

Platinum’s fuming gaze was fixed on the single exposed control point that Neon Park had managed to reveal. The glowing arena was no longer protected by the alien fortifications of the Primal Constructs, the metal walls having been torn down, but that was only a small consolation given its current state.

Her brows were furrowed and she clicked her tongue against the back of her teeth as she replayed the battles in her head, unable to suppress her agitation. A flame of frustration burned inside her, causing her features to smolder with impatience.

To the residents of Neon Park, she was an open book. They had long since grown familiar with the moods of their Champion’s right hand. If they had to pick an individual who best represented them, it wouldn’t be Neon, it would be Platinum. Neon was the leader of leaders, but Platinum was the hero who embodied the character of their settlement. She was a reliable bellwether that they all looked up to, one way or another.

Throngs of people watched her as they rested in the dirt, naturally separated into groups of those familiar with each other. Spirits were surprisingly high, at least relative to her own, but the reality of their continued mortality was upon them. They were all being confronted by the fact that they hadn’t taken full advantage of the regular variants on the surface now that the enemies were significantly more advanced in both power and sophistication.

Those of the Neon Park residents who were wounded were nearest to the chasm that had brought them into the Underlayer in the first place. They were receiving treatment by the handful of people who had skills in healing, but more likely being attended to by those who simply knew first aid from before the assimilation. As a result, what could have been a cataclysmic loss of life was moderately allayed.

Platinum didn’t look back. The wonders of mana provided no relief for her anger. Her eyes were locked on the cylindrical illumination of the arena they had fought and bled for. It was a solid crimson color once again, indicating that the human defenders had completely lost control of the objective. Though they had briefly initiated their claim on the point, they had not held it, and that pissed her off.

“Hmph.” Platinum made a frustrated noise as she changed directions.

Her body language said it all. Though she stood tall, surveying the army of Elite Primal Constructs that had come to reclaim the event’s control point, she repeatedly clenched her fists, kicked clods of dirt out of her way, and paced like a caged predator. Regardless of logistical nuances, she just wanted to keep fighting, even if it was on her own. Half a million Elite Primal Constructs formed orderly columns and watched the makeshift camp form in the distance, as if they didn’t care that their opponents weren’t defeated.

“A stalemate? After all that?” She expressed her disappointment, interrupting the ongoing conversations among the decision makers.

The burrough leaders who were present with Neon, discussing how they would proceed at the front of the still massive army, raised their eyebrows. It was a rare event for Platinum to voluntarily share her thoughts during one of their meetings. They may have been holding an informal conference at the head of their army, but the mood was as official as it got in Neon Park. Normally, Neon would have to prompt her to provide her perspective, though he was more likely to simply share it on her behalf.

“It’s not a stalemate.” One of the other leaders corrected. “We have the upper hand, especially now, but we can’t be greedy.” He reiterated the popular opinion among them.

“We regroup, we fortify, and we push again.” Another added.

“The war will be won through individual battles.” They continued along the same line of solidarity.

The leaders went around the huddle, essentially agreeing with Neon’s tactical retreat in various different ways as if they had suddenly become military generals. However, Platinum wasn’t one to argue with the properness of the decision. She acknowledged that it was the smart move, especially as it allowed their already superior force the chance to recover, but that didn’t make it less frustrating.

They had barely overwhelmed the army of Primal Constructs, defeating over a million Elites, dozens of Field Bosses, and the gigantic Siege Boss that overlooked them all, thanks in large part to outnumbering them by multiple times. Once the walls of the enemy castle were torn down and they finished the last of the invaders off, they naturally began capturing the objective, finally understanding the point of the event after days of battle. The humans occupied the control point they discovered within, but alien invaders appeared on the horizon, leaving one of the other glowing control points with the intent of reinforcing their holdings in the underground caverns.

Neon and the others had opted to pull the army of humans back the way they came, avoiding more conflict on the heels of their first multi-day battle. Thus, they had to watch the point that they had fought and sacrificed for as it was reclaimed by the enemy. It made Platinum feel dissatisfied, wishing that she could have done more, especially when she checked the individual leaderboards and found proof that it was possible. The whole battle had been a major endeavor, and they had nothing tangible to show for it.

“We can’t afford to make unnecessary sacrifices. A battle of attrition isn’t our winning strategy here.” Neon declared, sensing her reluctance.

They had proven that the robotic enemies could become fatigued over the course of their battle, so she was prepared to keep pushing.

She didn’t vocalize her arguments, but Neon knew her too well, so he continued. “Our lives are too valuable to throw away, and unlike these Primal Constructs, we will get stronger over time. Now that we’ve seen just how many we are facing, we can’t simply rely on overwhelming them with our numbers while absorbing losses, especially because every person lost now represents an even greater loss in the future.”

The other leaders nodded along with what was already the consensus. Platinum’s frustration was mostly directed at herself and everyone from the observing residents to the other leaders already knew it. Her sense of responsibility, no matter how much she denied it, was part of the reason she was so respected. They needed to go back in time and put more effort into developing themselves with easier opponents before facing the more organized Elites of the Primal Constructs, but after the Siege Event, they had grown too relaxed.

“That Siege Boss was a serious problem.” Another leader observed, correctly pointing out the most dangerous part of the enemy armies, far beyond even the escalation to Elites.

“We need a more efficient way of taking them down.” Neon confirmed. “It seemed to be designed to counter mass assaults, but they didn’t send a second one with the reinforcements. If possible, we should avoid them unless we are prepared to isolate and destroy them before they spin up the wider attacks.” The others nodded solemnly, recognizing that in order to be prepared, they would need to find times to rest. Platinum scowled, unwilling to admit her agreement.

They were lucky to not take more damage after encountering the new types of enemies, let alone the amplification of danger brought by higher tiers of bosses. Even the more basic Elites were a surprise in terms of complexity and teamwork, contrasting with the normal variants on the surface.

The Viceroy from Ghost Reef had done his best to describe the possible enemies when they exchanged intel, but seeing the change from mindless swarms to squad based combatants took getting used to. Recognizing that the Primal Constructs truly were an intelligent species manifesting armies to mess with the inhabitants of Earth was revelatory.

“We’re on a good pace, so we can take our time to gather information before making another move.” Neon repeated the plan, getting more acceptance all around.

The vast majority of those who had climbed down into the Underlayer would stay put and prepare for another attack while awaiting instructions as to where it would take place. The newly formed opposition around the first control point seemed like the optimal target, but that was only compared to the reinforced army they had already encountered. If there were other, more convenient options, they wanted the opportunity to explore them.

They would be scouting the region first, gauging the invasion’s forces, and confirming the locations of the subordinate settlements, their control points, and the extent of the armies that claimed them before they made another move. They had only fully arrived in the Underlayer as the event was already starting, and the presence of an enormous army formed in opposition had goaded them into battle right away. As the dust settled and they confirmed that the Constructs were taking a purely defensive stance, the humans were regrouping, unsure if they truly outnumbered them or not.

Depending on the stance of their enemies, they might liberate the nearby settlements before continuing with their war for Neon Park. Softer targets would be sought after for a combination of reasons: whether they wanted to hedge their bets or build up morale and experience. That the primary settlement had the highest challenge assessment was not lost on their minds, and the fact that two of the subordinate settlements were making large amounts of progress independently of the alliance made them feel the need for more information.

For all they knew, other forces were attempting to make moves in the same way as the Primal Constructs. If they were tied up with the most difficult challenge while a third party found a way to claim their territory out from under their noses, they needed to know so that they could adjust. It was a worry they all agreed on.

After the meeting broke up, Neon was bombarded by requests to have private conversations, so Platinum was left on her own. She wandered along the edge of their encampment seemingly unaware of how she was watched by the crowds. Her eyes were only on the enemy.

“Hey! A pretty face like yours shouldn’t look so glum.” A handsome voice suggested before she got very far, drawing a glare from not just her, but from others who heard as well.

“Whoa! I just meant it because we’re in relatively good shape.” Carlos put his hands up before either Platinum or Gabby could whack him. “Seriously. We’re even ahead of Ghost Reef.” He placated. “That’s not something I ever imagined seeing.”

“Me neither.” Gabby conceded with a sigh.

“It’s crazy. Even without that guy, Cici is a beast. We’re doing something right if we can compare ourselves with them.” Carlos added. “Uh. Don’t tell her I said that.” He mumbled as Gabby rolled her eyes.

Platinum wasn’t happy to have the leaderboards brought up. They just made her think of excuses for why she wasn’t at the top, though her arguments seemed cheap given the gap that had been formed. For someone that was supposed to be so strong, she had been unable to make her presence truly felt on the battlefield. It seemed like no matter how many monsters she destroyed and how many people she aided, it was a drop in a bucket. The scale was too much and there were too many priority targets demanding attention while she wasn’t strong enough to do it all.

Honestly, it made her wish that Neon had taken her up on the offer to abandon the settlement they had stumbled into claiming and just worry about themselves. The burden of responsibility made her feel gross.

How could anyone play a truly meaningful role when millions fought at once. She would have taken solace in the understanding that no one could possibly live up to such lofty expectations, except it seemed like one person out there actually would have. Her scowl deepened.

Gabby was the one to put her hand on Platinum’s shoulder. “Don’t be hard on yourself.” Carlos nodded vigorously. They had won the battle after all, and they had done it with so many people working together with relatively minimal losses compared to their opponents. It should have been proof of power and a source of confidence. They had even received a title for being among the first in the world to defeat a Siege Boss, a feat that had only happened a handful of times across the planet, apparently.

“I know.” Platinum agreed, but her brows stayed furrowed. The brutal battle put a damper on what was a relatively positive outcome, all things considered.

“Which way are you going?” Carlos asked, trying to change the subject as he correctly noted Platinum’s hardened feelings.

“We’ll be circling south to get a count for the Neon Park control points.” Platinum answered. “Then we’ll see what there is to see further down.”

“Dang, looks like we’ll be leaving in opposite directions.” Carlos grumbled. “It could have been fun to travel together for once.”

“Be careful out there.” Gabby recommended, guiding Carlos away to give her space.

“You too.” Platinum responded as they waved and walked away. She didn’t have to wait long before she was leaving as well.

She and Neon left after he had appeased all the other leaders. It hadn’t taken much time, since they were all on the same page when it came to external threats. No one was jockeying for position within the alliance when it was possible the whole structure would collapse at the hands of an enemy. The entire City had rallied together in a way that had been inspirational until the actual brutality of battle became a reality check.

It didn’t take the pair long to discover all four control points scattered within Neon Park’s territory. Neon could be nearly as fast as Platinum, as long as she was taking it easy. The only others that could reliably keep up had been split into their own groups, heading in different directions to scout the alliance territory more efficiently. The two didn’t speak much, silently agreeing to take care of business first.

In total they estimated the enemy forces to hold four or five million Elite Primal Constructs, more than 100 Field Bosses, and exactly three more Siege Bosses. Neon’s judgment was correct once again. They had defeated approximately a quarter of the initial forces in one tenth of the event’s duration, meaning they were on pace to succeed.

While they had responsibilities toward all of the subordinate settlements, assuming the challenges were truly proportional, they could barely make it out of the settlement event with a complete victory. Unfortunately, they had to go undefeated for what they estimated would be approximately 30 battles.

“I dunno.” Platinum muttered, voice revealing her ongoing doubt. Each of the Siege Bosses could spell their doom.

“Now that we know about them and their capabilities, we can plan ahead.” Neon assured her, already knowing her thoughts. “Next time, you and I can blast it as the battle starts.”

“Then we’d both be useless.” She remarked, genuinely opposing the idea.

“Maybe I would be.” He agreed self-deprecatingly. “But we’d be freeing up a ton of firepower and energy for everyone else.” He added a bit more seriously.

“We’d probably die before anyone caught up.” She continued being gloomy. Neon may have been able to easily focus on the bigger picture, but she would always prioritize themselves. It wasn’t just a personal stance, but it was also basically her job to make sure Neon was as safe as possible. It wasn’t like she was any kind of leader, at least as far as official titles went.

“Half the settlement would line up for the chance to rescue our hero.” Neon chuckled, baiting her out of her mood with a light shove.

“Can you not?” She grumbled, though her expression relaxed for the first time since they entered the Underlayer. Neon had been under just as much pressure during the whole campaign but he still understood how to distract her from the frustrations that built up.

“We’re gonna win.” Neon declared for both of them.

“I don’t know how you can be so sure.” Platinum stated somberly, shaking her head. “We’re so weak…” She paused for a few seconds. “So many people died.” She admitted what was really bothering her under her breath.

Neon sighed, revealing his own exhaustion when only Platinum was in his presence. “I know. But it really could have been worse.” He shook his head. “It is the apocalypse. We might all die.” He conceded.

They were both quiet afterwards.

50 miles later and they spotted a completely empty control point in the distance. The cylindrical arena was illuminated in a pleasant blue that they hadn’t seen before, though they correctly figured that’s what the objectives would look like if they were successfully captured. There was no army, but there were plenty of signs that an enormous battle had taken place if they just looked at the dirt landscape.

They wandered closer, entering the area of the objective and confirming that it was fully captured. Their presence had no effect as if they had been the ones to capture it themselves.

“Look at that…” Neon indicated a section that had a perfectly delineated area of smoothed dirt, pockmarked with tiny scorched craters, like an electric claymore had exploded, covering an area that was larger than a full-sized basketball court.

Platinum pointed out the giant arrow pointing away from the direction they came, clearly offering directions to anyone that stumbled into the control point with the word ‘sanctuary’ drawn in its stem. Neither of them said anything, though the symbol raised their eyebrows even more than the signs of battle.

Two more control points were further south, running along the wall of the tunnel, and they each matched the peaceful blue color of the first, though the blast cones and debris piles provided clues to what kind of extraordinary violence had taken place in the recent past.

The final control point, further in the distance toward the interior of the tunnel, was off by a few shades of blue. They slowly wandered closer so that they could see it better, noting the massive craters and cooked dirt that formed dried rivers of solidified black stone throughout the landscape, like scraggly roots of enormous obsidian trees. Following the flowing patterns with their eyes as they swept toward the objective, they finally realized that the control point was currently occupied.

They stopped while they were still more than a mile away, but the lone figure that occupied the empty dirt stood up from its crouch, and Platinum felt a chill run down her back as she did her best to identify it from so far away. Moments later, the control point burst with color, sending a spotlight of light blue all the way to the ceiling. Obviously, it had just been fully captured.

“Uh.” She muttered.

Neon hesitated at the same time, humming to himself as his mind raced. “Maybe we should head back. We can at least confirm there aren’t any Siege Bosses, though I’m afraid whatever that is might be worse.” He murmured, having detected danger just as she did, now unwilling to gesture too quickly, despite the distance.

“Too late.” Platinum stated. “It already saw us.” She pointed out, abandoning any stealth by drawing a soldilight blade and reinforcing it with extra layers that shot into her hand from the sky like white lasers at a rave.

Platinum’s instinct was to run or fight with absolutely no in between. “What do we do? I could hit it from here.” She offered, pointing her offhand, still finding confidence in her build, especially with Neon at her side. She had a rare mix of offensive, defensive, and supportive capabilities that made her dynamically dangerous to any opponent. As long as there weren’t a million enemies, she was self-assured.

“Wait.” Neon warned her, putting his hand on her forearm to put it back down. “Let’s just back away. Pretend like we didn’t see it. Just don’t provoke it.”

They only took one step before the figure appeared to shout at them, though the Underlayer had a way of stifling sounds, it waved its arm all the same. They looked at each other and sped up a bit as they turned and retreated.

All that did was invite the chase. Both Platinum and Neon ignited their abilities, but as they turned their backs, a missile shot past, like a bullet, battering them with wind, followed by the booming echo of the sound barrier being shattered. Then, the ghost of a spear-wielding gladiator appeared directly in their path, with one hand held up in greeting, as if it had popped out of a cloud of mana.

“Yo-”

Platinum’s solidlight weapon whipped through the air, snatching the momentum of her rush to retreat into a horizontal strike that would free them from obstruction. Instinctively, she knew they had to escape.

In the next instant, her manifestation shattered into a cloud of illuminated glitter. It was nonchalantly blocked by a bracer-covered wrist, using the exact amount of movement necessary, as if she hadn’t engaged her enormous amounts of Agility.

The shiny debris formed a blast zone that could have been perfect for a surprise party. As the light reflected off what should have been her most sturdy weapon, but had been reduced to shiny dust, both she and Neon froze in their tracks.

“Wow.” The man commented from within the center of the gleaming cloud, apparently distracted by the sparkles. “Pretty.”

Platinum’s eyes grew as wide as saucers at the comment. She slowly turned her head to look to Neon for guidance. Her neck practically creaked with how rigidly she moved.

The complete collapse of her soldilights left her flabbergasted. To have them break like they were brittle glass was basically unheard of, especially when they had been layered in that way. She had never felt so put in her place, and it had come with such casual disregard toward her power that she had no idea how to react.

“Ah.” Neon caught his breath, adjusting his glasses, seemingly realizing something.